The Paige Irrigation Wiring Guide for Systems Background: The decoder system was first introduced to the irrigation industry in the late 1960s. It was invented by the world renowned golf course architect, the late Robert Trent Jones, Sr. The first system was installed in Mr. Jones personal golf course, Coral Ridge Country Club, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The product was commercialized by John s Manville Irrigation as the Binar System in the early 1970s. Rain Bird introduced their version of the decoder system, Multipath, in the mid 1970s. These products proved to be unreliable for many reasons: Off-the-shelf wires and cables were used and they were not robust enough. The Binar Cable was developed by Paige Electric to solve this problem. This became Rain Bird s Maxi Cable for central control system communication circuits. Today, Maxi Cable is also used in Rain Bird s decoder system. Reliable cables are now available from Paige Electric for all manufacturers decoder systems, as discussed below. Connectors were not so good. The 3M Company has since developed and provided the DBY- 6 and DBR-6 connectors to solve this problem. Electronic components were not nearly as reliable as they are today. Massive failures were caused by lightning and power surges. This problem still exists today with modern systems and earth grounding and lightning protection must be done properly to ensure reliability. versus Conventional Systems: Here are the wiring diagrams for conventional and decoder systems: 10:30 P 10:30 P 120 or 240 VAC Power Source C 1 2 3 4 Irrigation Controller Conventional System 120 or 240 VAC Power Source Irrigation Controller Cable System Wire Splice Valve Box Hot/Signal Common 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 n Solenoid Page 1 of 8
Pros and Cons of Systems: There are significant tradeoffs between the reduction of wire and the addition of many other components. Here is a summary of these tradeoffs: Issue Amount of wire Easier to expand decoder systems Less damage from vandalism Manufactures recommend grounding grids for decoders every 300 to 1000 Supplemental watering during inspection of grounds Wire burial depth Wire splices and connectors Troubleshooting Simple wiring Comments Wire quantity is reduced in decoder systems and replaced with decoders. s contain electronic components which are susceptible to lightning damage. This tradeoff can have significant consequences on the overall reliability and maintenance of the system. Wires for additional valves are run from the nearest decoder or cable, not from the controller. True, unless the decoders and wires inside a valve box are vandalized. In theory, all decoders should be grounded. The electronic components of decoders are just as susceptible to lightning damage as controller components. All decoders should be connected to a ground grid a few feet away, just like a controller. Unfortunately, compromises are often made to fit budgets. Generally speaking, when lightning strikes, grounded decoders have a higher probability of survival than those that are not. Some manufactures recommend that none of the decoders be grounded. Golf course superintendents and property managers usually walk the grounds to inspect the condition of the turf and the landscape. In systems with multiple controllers, the individual can easily make program adjustments and supplemental watering at each controller. This is much more difficult to do with decoder systems since everything is hidden. Even if the manager has a system that uses radio communication, it is tough to do these tasks because it is difficult to remember the identity of every valve. The National Electrical Code requires that wires carrying more than 30 volts have a minimum of 24 of cover while wires having 30 volts or less require a minimum of 6 of cover. Conventional irrigation systems operate at 24 volts and can be buried at a depth of 6. Most decoder systems usually operate at voltages between 30 and 40 volts and must be installed at a minimum depth of 24. There is more than twice the number of splices in a decoder system than in a conventional system. Troubleshooting of decoder systems is not as easy as it may seem. The average landscape maintenance contractor is not familiar with these systems and troubleshooting is usually done by trained professionals at expensive labor rates. Cables are cut in several places during the troubleshooting process, which is usually done by trial-and-error. Re-splicing of these cables is usually rushed and seldom done correctly. It is easier to replace components in a controller than to replace decoders below ground. The installation of decoder system is not as simple as it sounds, because more than double the number of splices is required. For example, a decoder that controls 6 solenoids requires 27 splices and several more valve boxes (see decoder #2 in the wiring diagram below.) And the wire splice is the weak link of any electrical circuit. Page 2 of 8
System Wiring Diagrams: The following is a typical wiring diagram showing the various connections. Note that a decoder that controls a single solenoid valve uses five wire splices (or four if not grounded) compared to a conventional system that requires only 2 at the solenoid. And since the splice is the weak link of the electrical circuit, special attention must be paid to it. Note that decoder #2, which controls six solenoid valves, requires 27 splices, 15 of which are inside a single valve box. 10:30 P 120 or 240 VAC Power Source Cable Irrigation Controller 2 2a 2b 2c 2d 2e 2f DTS Cables 1 Wire Splice 3 n Valve Box 1 3 Solenoid (station) n The following wiring diagram from a leading manufacturer of decoder systems shows the complexity of the wiring inside a valve box of a decoder installation. The average landscape maintenance contractor is not qualified to troubleshoot these kinds of systems. Rain Bird GT27141C manual, dated November 2003, page 50 of 153. Source: Rain Bird website, 5/25/06 Page 3 of 8
Cable Switching Devices (DCSD): Although today s controllers are able to perform diagnostic routines to help troubleshoot faults in the wiring circuits, sometimes the problem is just too complicated. When this happens, the maintenance person resorts to trial-and-error methods in an effort to isolate the problem. Trialand-error methods usually cause cables to be cut and splices to be undone. By the time the fault is isolated, the cable is cut-up in many locations. To reduce the number of cable cuts, it is advisable to install DCSD s in strategic locations where the 2-Wire paths split. It also helps to install them half way along very long cable paths. By so doing, cable sections can be connected and disconnected with a flip of a switch. The wiring diagram below shows a typical installation: TYPICAL WIRING DIAGRAM USING DCSDs 10:30 P Irrigation Controller 10 120 or 240 VAC Power Source 2-Wire Paths Wire Splice 11 12 DCSD 2-way 3 4 DCSD3 3-way 5 6 1 2 13 Solenoid 14 7 8 15 9 Page 4 of 8
Paige Electric Cables for 2-Wire Paths: There are many types of decoder cables, as required by the manufacturers of 2-Wire decoder systems. The following is a summary of these, by major manufacturer: Table 1 - Cables (2-Wire Paths) Selection Guide Mfr. Toro Rain Bird Hunter Paige Electric AWG & No. of Colors Part No. Spec No. Conductors Conductors Outer Jacket 170116RB 14/2c P7313 170109B 12/2c 170801BU None Blue 170801GY Gray 170801OG Orange 14/2c 170801PR Purple 170801TN Tan Red & Blue 170801YL P7354D 170802BU Blue 170802GY Gray 170802OG Orange 12/2c 170802PR Purple 170802TN Tan 170802YL 180115 Red 180126 White 180127 Black 180114 Orange 180116 Blue 180118 14/2c 1801181 Purple 1801182 Brown 1801151 Pink 1801183 Gray P7072D Red & Black 180117 Green 180161 Red 180160 Black 180165 Orange 180162 Blue 180163 12/2c 180168 Purple 180166 Brown 180167 Gray 180164 Green 170116BKWT P7313 None 170800 Red 170800BK 14/2c Black & White Red & Black Stripe P7350D 170800GN Red & Green Stripe 170800YL Red & Stripe Page 5 of 8
Paige Electric -to-solenoid Cables: The wiring inside a valve box can be very complicated. DTS Cable colors can be chosen to match the colors the decoder output wires to minimize the confusion. The following table shows the colors of DTS Cable required by major decoder manufacturer and model number. The DTS Cable has one wire whose insulation is smooth and the other wire has raised ridges. This is ideal for systems requiring polarization, like the Toro system that utilizes latching solenoids. The two wires are separated by tearing them apart. DTS Cable Color & Paige Electric Part Numbers Mfr. Mfr. Model No. of Solenoids Red 170803RD Blue 170803BU Brown 170803BN Gray 170803GY Green 170803GN Orange 170803OG Black 170803BK 170803YL White 170803WT Purple 170803PR ICD-100 1 ICD-200 2 ICD-300 4 ICD-400 6 FD-101 FD-102 FD-202 1 2 FD-401 4 FD-601 6 DEC-1 CDEC-1 DEC-2 CDEC-2 DEC-4 CDEC-4 1 2 4 Hunter Rain Bird Toro Table 2 - -to-solenoid Cables (DTS Cables), Specification P7351D Selection Guide Page 6 of 8
Lightning Protection, Grounding, Bonding and Shielding: In decoder systems, the lightning protection/arresters are either built into the decoder or external, depending on the manufacturer. Without lightning arresters, the decoders are vulnerable to lightning damage. In order for these arresters to discharge lightning energy efficiently, they must be grounded. It is important to maintain the same voltage at all points of the two wire path in order to minimize lightning damage. The technique known as bonding is used to accomplish this by using a 10 AWG solid bare copper wire to interconnect all the decoder ground grids. This bonding wire can be used to shield the two wire path from lightning energy by placing it directly above the decoder cable. Here are typical recommended grounding grids for decoder systems with internal and external lightning arresters: TOP VIEW ( with Integral Lightning Protection) 3M DBY-6 [Paige Electric 270337] Valve Box Cable, Install with minimum of 24" of cover [Paige Electric Pxxxxx, per Table 1. ] To Solenoid #1 To Solenoid #2 3M DBR-6 [Paige Electric 270338] Bonding/Shielding Wire, 10 AWG solid bare copper [Paige Electric 160465.] Install in trench, above the Cable, as close to the surface as practical (8"-12" deep) 36" "-to-solenoid" Cables, to match decoder wire colors, per Table 2 [Paige Electric P7351D] 4" x 36" Ground Plate [Paige Electric 182201], surrounded by 50 pounds of PowerSet [Paige Electric 1820058] TOP VIEW ( with External Lightning Arrester) 3M DBY-6 [Paige Electric 270337] Valve Box Cable, Install with minimum of 24" of cover [Paige Electric Pxxxxx, per Table 1. ] Lightning Arrester To Solenoid #1 To Solenoid #2 3M DBR-6 [Paige Electric 270338] 36" Bonding/Shielding Wire, 10 AWG solid bare copper [Paige Electric 160465.] Install in trench, above the Cable, as close to the surface as practical (8"-12" deep) "-to-solenoid" Cables, to match decoder wire colors, per Table 2 [Paige Electric P7351D] 4" x 36" Ground Plate [Paige Electric 182201], surrounded by 50 pounds of PowerSet [Paige Electric 1820058] Page 7 of 8
Cable Splices: In order for the wire connections to comply with the 2005 edition of National Electrical Code Articles 300.5 (Underground Installations) and 110.14 (Electrical Connections), in wet or damp locations, the connector must be listed under specification UL 486D if installed in a valve box. It must be listed under specification UL 486D-Direct Burial if buried in dirt. This requirement applies to all electrical connections in wet or damp locations, regardless of voltage. The 3M DBY- 6 and DBR-6 are listed as UL 486D-Direct Burial and meet these requirements for all underground installations. Cable Burial Depth: Most decoder systems operate at voltages between 30 and 40 volts. The 2005 edition of the National Electrical Code, Article 300-5, requires that wires and cables subjected to voltages higher than 30 volts are to have a minimum cover of 24 inches. If the voltage on the cable is 30 volts or less, only 6 inches of cover are required. Of course, the proper depth should be selected in order to protect the cables from mechanical damage from maintenance such as aerefying of soils. May 4, 2007 Page 8 of 8